If you have a Facebook group (a requirement for this method) and implement the steps I am about to show you, you will see a massive increase in your email opt-ins.

It's not a "maybe" sort of thing either.

Success with this method is as close to a guarantee as I can ever make.

Here are my results so far with this method (from just one Facebook group!)

Sound good?

WELL WAIT!!!

I need to make a quick disclaimer about this process...

Disclaimer

I can't guarantee that this method is or will be approved by Facebook.

While I have never had an issue with it, I am not sure for certain if Facebook will ever decide to make me stop. If they do, I of course will but in the meantime, I have found nothing stating that this violates the Facebook group terms of service.

I don't want any angry emails if Facebook contacts you (although I have no reason yet to think they have a real problem with it).

Cool?

Sweet.

Let's go on!

Now, I was little hesitant to write and share this article.

Usually when I write an article I want as many people as possible to see it. I hope this one gets a lot of reads but I have to admit something...

I believe that once this method goes mainstream, it will become less effective. ​

So, my advice to you is that you implement this IMMEDIATELY after reading it if you want to see results similar to mine.

I'm happy to consider myself among the "early adopters" of this method who are going to see insane results while others wait for it to become popular and land on one of the larger websites.

About the Method

The method is straightforward.

The only tools you'll need are a basic email marketing software (I recommend ConvertKit) but I do recommend checking into a couple of premium tools like Clickfunnels and Group Funnels (more on those later).

I have a Facebook group and I ask for an email when people request access to join.

Instead of just saying, "enter an email," I give THEM something in return.

I offer three free gifts to everyone who provides a valid email address

Here is the method in pictures 🙂

Some Important Details and Stats

First, the gross number of email subscribers I was able to convert may be higher or lower than yours BUT the conversion rates you get should be similar if you implement the same strategy as I did.

For example, my group (FBA Today) has 21,646 members at the time of this post. The fact that my group is big to begin with means I get more requests to join than a similar group that is smaller.

People see a large group as validation that it is high quality.

They see a lot of people on the inside and their desire to join grows. It's basic psychology.

Yes, this will mean I get more requests and will get a higher % of opt-ins than you will if you have a smaller group.

Regardless of the size of your group, this will make a huge impact relatively speaking on your email list growth.

0% The percentage of group requests who were converted into email subscribers immediately BEFORE I started implementing this method.

23% The percentage of group applicants who provided a valid email address.

44.2%The average open rate that my email sequence gets.

Let's break this process down into actionable steps.

Step #1 Create Your Email Sequence

Before we set our Facebook group up to collect emails, you need to create a system for delivering your lead magnets.

This method hinges on giving something in exchange for an email. Without giving something of value, this process will not work well at all.

You're going to need an email marketing software for this step. I highly recommend ConvertKit and use it in the examples to follow. There are many other options and any quality email marketing software should give you the ability to send email sequences and deliver lead magnets.

I find ConvertKit to be extremely user friendly, consistent and more than powerful enough to tackle any email marketing task.

It's also affordable BUT price will be less and less of a concern for you once you see the return on investment that email marketing has.

As a quick reminder, you can and should easily generate a MINIMUM of $1/subscriber per month.

Now, in my email sequence, I have 4 emails.

I am giving 3 gifts. There is a reason that I give these out in a sequence as opposed to all at once.

I want my subscriber to look forward to my next email. This is a combination of elements I learned from two of my idols Russel Brunson and Ryan Deiss.

In his book "Invisible Selling Machine" Deiss recommends giving new subscribers 3 "gifts" when they join your email list. The book goes way deeper into the psychology of this and different methods for using these gifts to better segment and tag subscribers.

For now, I am going to keep it simple and just say that giving 3 gifts over 3 days is a perfect start and will get the most email opt-ins, highest open rates and will leave your new subscribers pleased and more willing to open your emails and buy from you in the future.

I learned about a concept called the "Soap Opera Sequence" from Russell Brunson in his book DotCom Secrets. The concept is simple: end each email in a way that leaves the subscriber "on edge" and wanting to open the next email.

Here is what it my sequence looks like.

Notes

Since you opted-in to view this article, I am going to email you a Google Drive "swipe file" with the actual text I send out in these emails. Look for that. I recommend you make your own emails from scratch and use your own, unique voice.

Since you probably aren't an Amazon seller (the target audience for this sequence) the emails won't mean that much to you. Focus on the underlying logic and process rather than the actual terminology used and the freebies. The purpose of this process, regardless of the niche, is to provide immediate value to your new subscribers.

Email #1

Send: Immediately after subscription

Subject: Welcome to the FBA Today Community! [Free Gift Inside]

Purpose: Give freebie #1 download link and allude to the next email/gift coming.

Email #2

Send: One day after last email

Subject: AZ Seller Gift #2: Feed the Beast!

Purpose: Give freebie #2 download link and allude to the next email/gift coming.

Email #3

Send: One day after last email

Subject: AZ Seller Gift #3: Defend Your Account!

Purpose: Give freebie #3 download link

Email #4 (AND BEYOND)

Send: One week after the last email (variable)

Subject: $457,903.81 in less than 90 days...

Purpose: Get subscribers to take some desired action. After subscribers have received their 3 free gifts, it's now time to try and get them to take the next desired action. This can be...

Buy something

Follow you on another social media channel

Share something with their friends

This is your chance to get more from your subscribers while you are still "top of mind."

You can add as many of these emails as you'd like to your sequence OR create a new sequence and have subscribers who complete this first one added to it automatically.

My 4th and final email from this sequence aims to get users to check out a software that I am an affiliate for. It is relevant to Amazon sellers and links to a review article I wrote that converts very well.

Alright, now that you have a sequence in place you are ready to start collecting emails from your Facebook group.

Step #2 Create a Facebook Group (If You Don't Have One)

If you're reading this article my guess is you already have one or maybe even multiple Facebook groups.

If you don't have a Facebook group, you'll need one before you go any further.

Step #3 Make Your Facebook Group Privacy "Closed"

Scroll down to "Privacy" and make sure that your group is set to "Closed."

A closed group is important to this process.

Closed groups require approval to access (which is how we collect emails and keep out spammers).

Step #4 Set Up Questions for New Member Requests

Now we need to set up our questions in our group settings.

​

This is the most important step.

Again, you can't just say, "Would you like to provide an email and join our newsletter?" That is weak.

This is your chance to indoctrinate people to your group AND build up some reciprocity with them by giving them something of value right out of the gate.

Here is what my question/request looks like.

Feel free to copy and paste it while changing the words slightly to fit your niche.

"Provide an email address if you'd like to receive THREE awesome Amazon related freebies from us (check inbox to confirm)"

There is a lot going on there. Remember, we only have 250 characters for each question so we need to make them count!

Step #5 Set Approval Permissions to "Only Admins or Moderators"

We want to control the member approval process.

This is a critical step so don't skip it!!!

Step #6 Wait for Member Requests

Now that you have your system in place, you need to wait for some member requests and emails.

I check this every 24 hours just to make sure I deliver the lead magnet as soon as possible.

Step #7(a) Review Member Requests and Collect Emails in CSV File

**The Hard Way**

After you have some member requests, it's time to review them and collect emails from quality members.

I repeat, QUALITY members.

Just because someone left an email doesn't mean that you should use it or allow them into the group. Unfortunately, Facebook has a huge spam issue and a lot of users request to join large groups just so they can spam them.

Some of these spammers may provide email addresses (which may be fake OR trigger some return spam emails to you). Never allow these people into your group or onto your list.

Use the same process you typically use when accepting group members. Don't loosen your standards just to get more emails.

More isn't always more when it comes to email quality.

I create a Google Sheet and copy and paste emails into it as I approve members.

As I approve members, I copy the email address and paste it into the Google sheet into the first column.

Note: Be sure to create a header "Email" in cell A1 so you don't have issues when uploading.

Once I've collected all of the emails for the day, I download the Google sheet into a .CSV file.

Once I have my .CSV file, I upload it into my email marketing software, ConvertKit.

I have some things going on in the backend of ConvertKit here that make this process work.

I have a form titled "FBA Today 3-Bies"

The form is linked to my email sequence

When I upload my emails, I link them to the form and then the subscribers automatically get added to my sequence

Almost every email marketing software is capable of performing this sort of logic.

You have ​to find a way to get this in place!

If you don't have a way to quickly upload your emails directly to a sequence, the process will become extremely time consuming.

Step #7(b) Review Member Requests and Collect Emails in CSV File

**The EASY Way**

When I wrote this post I was doing the manual method I just showed you.

In hindsight, that was a HUGE waste of time and energy.

Shortly after posting, I found a tool called Group Funnels that allows me to approve members and send them directly into my email marketing software WITHOUT any manual copying and pasting.

In the video at the beginning of the post, I show how it works, so if you haven't yet watched it, do that now!

So, I decided to present the same 3 gift offer I'm giving to new group requests to existing members by turning the Facebook cover photo into a graphic that encourages members to visit a website to claim their bonuses.

Resources Mentioned

Nate McCallister

Nate is the founder and main contributor of EntreResource.com. He is a lifestyle entrepreneur who spends his time building businesses and raising his two kids Sawyer and Brooks with his beautiful wife Emily. His main interests include copywriting, economics and piano.